So there I was at my local beer pusher the other day, when I was approached by the wiley dealer. “Hey wanna try something awesome?” she said with a crazy enthusiasm. Given my general enjoyment of beer experimentation, I ignored the silly little wine glass it was offered in and tasted what has to be the most unique “beer” I’ve ever had.

Brewed by this crazy little brewery in Japan, this “Commemorative Ale 2008″ tastes like no other beer I know. A hallmark of Japanese beer, it goes down real dry, but then has a bit of fruity aftertaste that I can only really say tastes an awful lot like champagne. And not the bottle cap kind either. Real pop the cork and break a window kind of champagne.

How can I rate a beer I can’t even adequately describe to you as beer … a five? Because despite the ludicrous $4.50/bottle price tag…I actually went back to buy more. Crack dealer 101: the first hit is always free.